Basic Camera Mount on Piece of Wood...

[Tin Can]

I haven't wanted this YET, but it does give me ideas about using a Horseman rail as a geared slider for smaller cameras.

I am constantly finding other uses for my several Horseman cameras, they sure don't sell easily.

Thanks for the idea!

I am building a simple camera slider for doing triptych work, and there are a plethora of DIYs online for doing this, but they mostly advise mounting a head to the sliding platform. I have only one tripod head large enough to support my camera, so I want to mount the slider base onto the head (so that I can perform pan and tilt in the usual manner and then screw the camera directly onto the sliding platform. I'll be using a 1/4-20 hand knob bolt, but what is the recommended way of attaching the bolt to the platform while still allowing me to turn it freely to lock down the camera? Obviously I can use a lock washer recessed into the platform, but I was wondering if there's a better way...

Thanks, and sorry if this has been addressed before!

[Bob Salomon]

I found a Youtube video on making a wooden quick release plate that shows exactly what I was wondering about here (4 minutes, 10 seconds). The guy cuts away a section of the threads with a dremel and then uses an e-ring retainer to hold the bolt captive. Seems like it should work for my purposes.

Also weakens the bolt.

[fecaleagle]

Also weakens the bolt.

Right... There's always more to consider than I assume when I start out one of these projects. I'm sure I can hand file away the threads without cutting into the bolt itself. I wouldn't assume that would weaken the bolt appreciably, but I'm certainly open any suggestions for methods I could reasonably do at home with basic tools.

[el french]

I am building a simple camera slider for doing triptych work, and there are a plethora of DIYs online for doing this, but they mostly advise mounting a head to the sliding platform. I have only one tripod head large enough to support my camera, so I want to mount the slider base onto the head (so that I can perform pan and tilt in the usual manner and then screw the camera directly onto the sliding platform. I'll be using a 1/4-20 hand knob bolt, but what is the recommended way of attaching the bolt to the platform while still allowing me to turn it freely to lock down the camera? Obviously I can use a lock washer recessed into the platform, but I was wondering if there's a better way...

Thanks, and sorry if this has been addressed before!

Why do you need a slider for a triptych? How long does the slider need to be? Can you provide links to the DIYs?

[fecaleagle]

Why do you need a slider for a triptych? How long does the slider need to be? Can you provide links to the DIYs?

Most of the DIYs available online are for video applications. Googling "DIY dolly slider" should return the plethora of results I mentioned earlier. For landscape/distance diptych and triptych work, I am using wooden planks on the ground to keep the tripod on a reasonable line, but I figure that for indoor shots and still life work, I'd only need 12" to 24" inches of separation between the shots. If I can make a 24" sliding platform, I figure I can shoot a triptych of a subject at 12 feet with a lens that has a field of view of 30 degrees. I suppose I could use a little bit of advice on the trigonometry behind all of this, but by simply moving the camera 12 inches to the right, or left, I figure I can be just outside of the original field of view for not-too-distant subjects, and if that is the case, I think it's worth trying to put together. If I reinforce the wood, I may be able to do a 36" or 48" long platform, which would be more than sufficient for my purposes. If it's not, I can always take up stereo photography... :/

Thanks for the input, and anybody that can help me with a formula for calculating the required distance between shots, given the field of view of the lens and the distance of the subject, I am all ears.

Edit: I just looked at some charts. So for a vertical shot, which all of my diptych and triptych shots are, I am looking at about a 27 degree field of view with my standard lens. I'm sure someone a little more math-minded can provide me with a formula for calculating the distance required between shots given the angle of view and subject distance. I would really appreciate it!

[Tin Can]

I have seen curved video ones.

Most of the DIYs available online are for video applications. Googling DIY slider dolly should return the plethora I mentioned earlier. I am using wooden planks on the ground to keep the tripod on a reasonable line for landscape/distance diptych and triptych work, but I figure that for indoor shots and still life work, I'd only need 12" to 20" inches of separation between the shots. I figure if I can make a 24" sliding platform, I can shoot a triptych of a subject at 15 feet with a lens that has a field of view of 30 degrees. I suppose I could use a little bit of advice on the trigonometry behind all of this, but by simply moving the camera 12 inches to the right, or left, I figure I can be just outside of the original field of view for not-too-distant subjects, and if that is the case, I think it's worth trying to put together. If I reinforce the wood, I may be able to do a 36" long platform, which would be sufficient for my purposes. If it's not, I can always take up stereo photography... :/

[Lou Baleur]

An enlarger or copy stand column mounted horizontal between sawhorses would work and would also be a good use for forgotten enlargers. A long column like a 5 foot polaroid mp4 would be about ideal.

[fecaleagle]

So, a math-minded fellow that I work with just came in and shattered my hopes. He told me that the the distance required between the two camera (lens) positions for the fields of view (27°) not to overlap is equal to 2*tan(13.5°)*d, where d equals the distance of the subject from the camera. So for a subject 12 feet away, the camera needs to slide 5.75 feet for the fields of view not to overlap... I guess it's back to the boards on the ground...

I will test that estimate on my kitchen wall when I get home from work, but I'm inclined to trust his math.

[Tin Can]

Have you taken test pictures with a P&S or shudder, cell phone? May as well test the concept using whatever you have.

So, a math-minded fellow that I work with just came in and shattered my hopes. He told me that the the distance required between the two camera (lens) positions for the fields of view (27°) not to overlap is equal to 2*tan(13.5°)*d, where d equals the distance of the subject from the camera. So for a subject 12 feet away, the camera needs to slide 5.75 feet for the fields of view not to overlap... I guess it's back to the boards on the ground...

I will test that estimate on my kitchen wall when I get home from work, but I'm inclined to trust his math.

[Bob Salomon]

So, a math-minded fellow that I work with just came in and shattered my hopes. He told me that the the distance required between the two camera (lens) positions for the fields of view (27°) not to overlap is equal to 2*tan(13.5°)*d, where d equals the distance of the subject from the camera. So for a subject 12 feet away, the camera needs to slide 5.75 feet for the fields of view not to overlap... I guess it's back to the boards on the ground...

I will test that estimate on my kitchen wall when I get home from work, but I'm inclined to trust his math.

For VR pans you need about 30% overlap between adjacent shots. You sure you need no overlap?